Library and Information Week (LIW) celebrates the vital role libraries play in supporting informed communities through access to trusted information, knowledge and expertise. This year’s theme, Truth Be Told, shines a spotlight on how libraries help people question, verify and understand information, navigate misinformation and disinformation, and make confident decisions in an increasingly complex information landscape.

For health libraries, this role is especially critical. Access to reliable evidence underpins patient care, research, education and professional practice. Health librarians work behind the scenes—and often alongside clinicians and researchers—to connect staff with high-quality information and the tools needed to find, evaluate and apply evidence with confidence.

As part of Library and Information Week 2026, the Northern Health (NH) Library is sharing an interim “report card” demonstrating how your feedback from last year’s User Needs Survey is being turned into real action.

More than 250 staff members took part in the survey, sharing valuable insights about the resources, services and support that matter most. Your feedback has directly shaped priorities and decisions, helping ensure the Library continues to evolve alongside the needs of our workforce.

Access to current, high-quality evidence and specialist resources was a clear priority and the NH Library has responded.

We’ve expanded our collection with:

• Eight new journal subscriptions, including leading titles such as British Journal of Anaesthesia, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology
• Five new journal packages, broadening access across a wide range of clinical and professional disciplines and covering popular publishers such as BMJ, Karger and Wiley.

But it doesn’t stop at collections.

To better support research and learning, the Library has introduced new tools and services, including NVivo and Covidence, giving staff greater capability in qualitative research, evidence synthesis and systematic reviews.

A new Research Toolkit has also been developed—bringing together practical guidance, resources and support materials in one place to assist researchers at every stage of their journey.

To make it easier to discover key literature, the Library has launched a Core Medical Titles Collection within BrowZine, helping users quickly identify trusted journals in their specialty areas.

And for those moments when you just need quick help, a new online chat service is now available here, making it easier than ever to connect directly with library staff for support.

We heard clearly that seamless access—especially offsite—is essential.

In response, the NH Library is implementing a new hosted EZproxy solution to simplify remote access. Soon, staff will be able to log in using their standard Northern Health credentials, making it faster and easier to access subscribed resources anytime, anywhere.

This year’s theme also reminds us that access to information is only part of the story—sharing knowledge is just as important.

The NH Library has expanded its portfolio of Read and Publish agreements, allowing eligible staff to publish Open Access in a growing number of journals without article processing charges.

This means:

• Greater visibility for Northern Health research
• Wider access to new knowledge
• Stronger impact across clinical, research and community settings

This interim report card represents just some of the actions already taken—and there’s more to come.

The NH Library remains committed to listening, responding and continually improving. By connecting people with trusted information, supporting research and improving access to knowledge, the Library is helping ensure that, when it comes to healthcare information, the truth is not only found—but shared and put into practice.

Picture shows Gigi and Rojina navigating the Northern Health Library site with Eunice Ang, Medical Librarian.